Indo-West Pacific, from Sri Lanka (type locality) to Indonesia, the Philippines, northern Australia, New Caledonia and Tonga.
Description
A white chromodorid with a striking tricoloured mantle border, belonging to the group of white Goniobranchus with red and yellow edges. The mantle is narrow and barely covers the foot.
White mantle, sometimes with translucent patches or small brownish spots. The edge has three bands: a fine pale blue to whitish outer line, a broad deep red band, then a broad yellow band inside. Rhinophores and gill are translucent red to reddish-purple with white-edged lamellae.
Similar species
Goniobranchus verrieri lacks the pale outer line and has narrower bands; G. trimarginatus and G. woodwardae have different band sequences.
≈Habitat & diet
Habitat
Intertidal and subtidal reefs, under rocks in mixed soft and hard bottoms, seagrass, algal and gorgonian beds; to about 15 m.